this morning, america's secret war. >> it's taking center stage today. deep debate over the use of unmanned drones to kill suspected terrorists. as we learn about a top-secret u.s. drone base overseas. storm watch. millions bracing for a blizzard that could start tonight. snow amounts not seen in years. and it was the biggest powerball prize since that $600 million megajackpot. overnight, someone became $200 million richer. >> clearly not us. and fashn police ready to crack down at sunday's grammy awards.

and good thursday morning, everybody. they are the not-so-secret weapons of the war on terror. unmanned drones, dispatched to places not safe for u.s. troops. >> under the obama administration, their use has increased. but it's now under serious fire on capitol hill. here's abc's tahman bradley. >> reporter: president obama's pick for cia director, john brennan, could face serious heat from members of the president's own party at his confirmation hearing this afternoon. democrats will likely demand answers about the use of unmanned drones to attack u.s. enemies overseas. brennan is the administration's point person on drones, the man who signs off on the kill list. >> i suggest to you that these targeted strikes against al qaeda terrorists are, indeed, ethical and just. >> reporter: the use of drones has grown 700% under the obama administration. we learned just yesterday, that america has a secret base in

saudi arabia, used to send drones throughout the region. lawmakers will discover about a document that says american citizens tied to al qaeda can be killed if a high-level official believes the target poses an imminent threat. but the government can do so without having clear evidence. human rights advocates disagree. >> that justifies, essentially, a claim that the executive branch can be judge, jury and executioner. >> reporter: drone strikes have become controversial. in pakistan alone, there have been more than 300 drone strikes in the last decade, killing thousands of terrorists. but also more than 300 civilians. the retired general who once ran the military's drone strike program, thinks there should be discussion about their use. >> if the threshold gets too low and we're too casual about it, we'll forget how much scar tissue we build up in those countries. >> reporter: the white house defends the drone program and says it will provide congressional committees classified information about

strikes. rob and diana? >> thanks for that. and the drone debate is heating up, as this video gets attention online. now, iran claims it is from a stealth drone captured two years ago. it's from the drone's perspective, flying and taxiing around a base in afghanistan. some officials are skeptical that drone has been decoded. but others say it could have come only from a drone. and more news from that region this morning. the military is going from two aircraft carriers to one in the persian gulf. the move announced by the defense department comes as washington tries to avoid sharp spending cuts that will strike the pentagon, as well as domestic programs, starting next month. and another big story that we're watching this morning. millions of people are bracing for a megablizzard that could dump a foot of snow on parts of the northeast. >> the storm could rival the monster blizzards that paralyzed the area around two years ago. boston and coastal new england are expected to bear the brunt of it. but the heaviest snow coming

down tomorrow morning. and the new york area could be under as much as ten inches of snow. >> airlines are preparing for the very worst. they've already started waiving rebooking fees for flights heading in and out of the storm zone. as the storm moves in, winter warnings and advisories have been posted in 14 states, from minnesota to maine. here's accuweather's jim dickey. >> good morning, rob and diana. we're tracking the potential for a major winter storm. a crippling winter storm. that will develop as we head into friday. as two systems come together here. the area we're watching, from massachusetts to southern maine. many spots picking up multiple feet of snow. now, snow and all snow across portions of massachusetts, through vermont, new hampshire. arrives late friday, lasting in some cases all the way through saturday. rob and diana, back to you. >> many thanks for that, jim. and stay with us for "good morning america." sam champion, of course, will be here with the very latest, as the big storm approaches. both sides are gearing up

for an intense campaign to slay opinion that the boy scouts have put off a decision on admitting gays. here's abc's cecilia vega. >> reporter: jennifer was fired as a den leader. told her sexual orientation would be a distraction. >> well, i'm not a distraction. and this is not a distraction. we're moms. and we're americans. >> reporter: that's her son, 8-year-old cruise, in tears, with his two moms. the news that the scouts will postpone a decision to allow gays in its ranks, had terrell fighting tears. >> i'm not looking forward to going home and tell cruise we have to wait a little longer. >> reporter: after last month's announcement that scouts were close to dropping the ban, there was an outpouring of feedback, like that from texas republican governor, rick perry, an eagle scout opposed to the change. >> scouting is about teaching a

substantial amount of life lessons. sexuality is not one of them. >> reporter: in a statement, the scouts say they concluded that due to the complexity of this issue, the organization needs time for a more deliberate review of its membership policy. when it comes to the future of an organization more than a century old, division persists. a new poll out shows a narrow majority of americans want the scouts to end its ban on openly-gay members. while 61% of women want to see that lifted, fewer than half of men agree. now, time will tell. will the ban on gays end? tyrell says she will keep fighting. >> i will never stop fighting for what i know is right. and i'll never stop fighting for a better world for my children to live in. >> reporter: what's next? the 1,400 members will make a decision at the meeting in may. cecilia vega, abc news, new york. someone in virginia is $200 million richer this morning. there was just one powerball

jackpot winner in last night's drawing. the $208 million sum was the highest since november's nearly $600 million prize. >> what a good morning for those folks. what a way to wake up. >> good morning. coming up next, grounded for weeks. boeing's dreamliner will take to the skies once again. then, a developing story from california. a young couple killed in an upscale neighborhood. a former police officer, the main suspect. and oops. this was not likely the intended parking lot. we'll be back.

welcome back, everyone.

say good-bye to saturday mail delivery. the postal service plans to stop delivering regular mail on saturday some time in august. the agency lost $16 million last year. and this could save it $2 billion. the postal service will still deliver packages on saturdays. and its post offices will be open. but wait. congress still hasn't signed off on the cutbacks just yet. and there are signs this morning of a major airline merger. american airlines and u.s. airways are reportedly close to a deal, which could be officially announced next week. the result would take american's name and be the biggest u.s. airline. but there's no decision just yet. and american might still decide to emerge from bankruptcy as an independent airline. boeing will fly one of its troubled dreamliner jets from texas to washington state today. the faa gave permission for the test flight. only a basic crew will be aboard. all other 787s are grounded after several mechanical problems, including a battery fire shortly after one of the planes landed in boston just

last month. former treasury secretary, timothy geithner, has a new job. he is joining the council on foreign relations as a distinguished fellow. he is also planning to write a book. apple's itunes digital store hit 25 million downloads this week. and it's averaging 15,000 a minute. the actual song that put itunes over the top was a version of "monkey drums." a german listener was a customer. and he's getting an itunes gift card worth $13,000. at current prices, that means he can download 10,000 songs. >> not bad at all. and you might say that monopoly is going to be wrinkled but pet-friendly. the next version of the game will have a cat token, rather than an iron. reaction online, as you can imagine, came pretty swiftly. one player said, it's about time cats got respect. but another fan complained the iron was his favorite piece.

monopoly had advice. buy another game before it's too late. >> had the dog. it's okay to have the cat. >> i like the race car. >> i wanted the diamond ring. >> of course, you did. shocking opinion you got a fis one. you're fine. coming up next this thursday morning. lance armstrong's troubles are mounting, just as he makes another major about-face. and the soccer player who went heels over head against the and i have dia erve pain. i worked a patrol unit for 17 years in the city of baltimore. when i first started experiencing the pain, it's hard to describe because you have a numbness but yet you have the pain like thousands of needles sticking in your foot. it was progressively getting worse, and at that point, i knew i had to do something. when i went back to my health care professional, that's when she suggested the lyrica. once i started taking the lyrica, the pain started subsiding. [ male announcer ] it's known that diabetes damages nerves.

lyrica is fda approved to treat diabetic nerve pain. lyrica is not for everyone. it may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, changes in eye sight including blurry vision, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling, or skin sores from diabetes. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain, and swelling of hands, legs, and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. those who've had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. ask your doctor about lyrica today. it's specific treatment for diabetic nerve pain. to hear more of terry's story, visit lyrica.com. it's specific treatment for diabetic nerve pain. has twice the protein of regular lowfat yogurt. and at 80 calories, it's the lightest greek yogurt with fruit. with its creamy, thick texture you won't feel like you're running low on satisfaction. light & fit greek. be light and fit. and satisfied.

ready... mm-hmm. ...smile. happy valentine's day. [ female announcer ] get this free bracelet or a charm valued up to forty-five dollars at kay with any charmed memories purchase of one hundred dollars or more. ready... ♪ every kiss begins with kay check out where a man and his toyota camry ended up in san diego. the car was suspended precariously over an outdoor staircase. the driver mistakenly, we've heard this before, hit the gas, sending the car over a curb, into a guardrail and into a building. he was rescued and is okay. and now, a look at the morning road conditions. a wet commute from seattle to

san francisco. snowy passes in the sierra nevada, cascades and rockies. slick from dallas to kansas city. snow-covered roads in the upper midwest. >> and if you're flying today, airport delays are possible in chicago, detroit, atlanta, charlotte and san francisco. there's a massive manhunt underway in southern california right now for a murder suspect described as armed and dangerous. investigators say former lapd officer, christopher corner, has admitted to killing a popular basketball coach and his fiancee. >> revenge was the apparent motive. the coach's daughter had represented dorner when he was fired from the p.d. doreer wrote, i never had an opportunity to have a family of my own. i'm terminating yours. a bombshell in the lance armstrong scandal now. he is reversing course and is now expected to come clean, under oath, to anti-doping authorities. armstrong had until yesterday to

testify about using illegal drugs during his cycling career. but authorities have now given him a two-week extension. his testimony means his lifetime ban from sports could be reduced to just eight years. but his legal problems are far from over. a promotions company is suing him today for $12 million. and singer, chris brown, made a brief court appearance in a. l.a., amid questions about whether he performed required community service. and sitting nearby, none other than rihanna, who brown was accused of assaulting in 2009. she blew him a kiss. his lawyers say -- claims that brown never finished his community service are dead wrong. and medical news this morning. a staggering statistic here. a new report predicts the number of alzheimer's cases in the u.s. will triple by the year 2050, with nearly 14 million patients expected, as the baby-boomer generation gets older. health experts say there's an

urgent need for treatments. the government in britain this morning has announced all dogs in the u.k. will have to be implanted with microchips beginning in 2016. owners whose dogs are not microchipped could face an $800 fine. the laws make it easier to track down owners of dangerous pets. now, an update on the recovery of our colleague, barbara walters. walters says she hopes to be back with the ladies of "the view" in three weeks. recovering from the chickenpox and a concussion, walters says she's weak but not in any pain. time for sports news this morning. we get the highlights from espn. >> welcome to your "sportscenter" update. i'm jorge andres. college hoops is where we go. taking on tcu. pick it up second half. 2 of his 24. up 14. inside, getting the bucket to go. 12 point, 8 boards for him.

under four minutes to play, green doing the work. getting the jumper and the foul. tcu win it, 62-55. the first-ever win against a top team. honduras taking on the united states. the 40th minute we go. ball played right in the box. and then, juan carlos garcia, are you kidding me? the bicycle kick that beats timmy howard. and it's tied at 1-1. take another look. a great goal. his first career goal. that's the way to start it. timmy howard, he couldn't do anything about it. 79th minute is where we go. ball played right through. and it's oscar, finding banks for the easy tap-in. the revolution star making it 2-1. honduras win it 2-1. the u.s. failing to win after scoring the first goal for the third time in the last four road games. the next game will be against

costa rica. that's your "sportscenter" update. i'm jorge andres. have a great day. for the 36th-straight year, runners from around the world race up 86 flights of stairs in what's being called the empire state building run-up. >> that's nearly 1,600 steps. the australian winner made it in 10:12. also taking part in this, talk show host kelly ripa, who is famously fit and proves so yet again yesterday. >> and she did it for a good cause. that's great. >> nicely done, guys. coming up next, requested the pulse." and the dos and don'ts at sunday's grammys. why the fashion police will be out in force. and a male model, giving up the fame and fortune to pursue a very different passion. [ female announcer ] going to sleep may be easy, but when you wake up in the middle of the night it can be frustrating.

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all right. welcome back, everybody. time to check "the pulse," this morning, the stories you will be talking about today. and get this. as the music industry celebrates its biggest night this coming weekend, there will be a lot less skin out there on the red carpets. >> that's right. you guys all remember seeing this. >> we do. >> that's j. lo and li'l kim and pink showing a whole lot of skin. stars attending this year's grammy awards have been given a new set of rules, after years of skimpy getups similar to these. li'l kim, pink, they're being told buttocks and breasts must be completely covered up. >> what's the point in watching now? ratings will go down. >> no one wants to see that.

>> put that j. lo picture back up for a second. or shear clothing that might reveal private parts. clothing with obscenities. and t-shirts with brand names are banned. they're cracking down. >> all that justifies the ladies, here's the opposite. you might recognize calvin klein ads featuring a very chiselled hunk. >> here we go. this is miles crosby.. he just made a potentially life-changing choice. instead of moving on with his lucrative modeling career, crosby announced he is going to southern methodist university to play some football. crosby put it pretty simply. saying he has a passion for the game. and he wants his education. many folks don't make that choice when big money's on the line. so, congratulations to that fella. >> he's going to be the hottest football player on that team. now, imagine going to bed and waking up the next day. but with the same person for 80

years. >> wow. >> that's incredible. meet john and anna. the longest married couple in the entire country. >> they tied the knot back in november 1932 and went on to have 5 kids, 14 grandkids and 16 great grandkids. so, you have to ask. what is their secret? >> really living. normally. >> he's always never worked. she's always cooked and took care of her family. good mother. great mother. >> and he's always had his hand on my knee. >> that's the secret. hand on the knee. they weren't supposed to get married, apparently. ann's parents had arranged for her to marry someone else. so, they eloped. there's something about hearing your favorite song that can perk you up. this little boy, sound asleep until he hears this song. >> it's "gangnam style," which

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at edward jones, it's how we make sense of investing. updating our top stories now. cia director nominee john brennan faces tough questions on capitol hill today over a policy that allows drone strikes against american terror suspects. the financially troubled postal service says it's going to stop delivering mail on saturdays starting this summer. it will save the post office about $2 billion a year. people across the northeast are stocking up ahead of a monster storm. the powerful blizzard is expected to dump up to two feet of snow in the area friday night into saturday. new england will be the hardest-hit. quick look at other weather now. rain from seattle to san francisco. snow in the sierrsierras, casca and rockies. we think it's fair to say that new jersey's republican

governor, chris christie, has just about had it with everyone talking about his weight. >> as abc's dan harris reports, the only evidence needed to prove it was to listen to what christie said just yesterday. >> this is just another hack who wants five minutes on tv. >> reporter: chris christie, displaying his famous new jersey candor, reacting to former white house doctor connie mariano, who on cnn called the governor a time bomb. >> i'm a physician more than i am a democrat or republican. and i worry about this man dying in office. >> she must be a genius. >> reporter: the governor questioned how the doctor could diagnose him from her office in arizona. >> and it's completely irresponsible. my 12-year-old son comes to me last night and says, dad, are you going to die? >> hey. bring it, fat boy. >> christie said he's not sure if he's going to run for re-election next year. he said, i'll collapse that bridge when i come to it. >> reporter: christie's weight has been a constant issue, which he has handled both with humor, days ago, eating a doughnut on the set of his chief

tormentor, david letterman. and with humility. christie, who was slender and athletic as a younger man, insists his health is good. although yesterday, he told reporters -- >> if you talk to anybody in this room that has a struggle with their weight -- >> reporter: he's aware his weight could ultimately become a serious issue. when you look at him, do you think he's a ticking time bomb? >> i think it's really very judgmental to have such a strong conviction when you have no innate knowledge of his level of activity or his level of fitness. >> reporter: but tonight, dr. mariano fired back in a statement, saying, it is sad that the governor cannot take my advice and instead chose to attack me personally. probably not going to fly with christie, who's now clear that he has no patience with people who speculate about his health before having all the facts. >> until that time, she should shut up. >> reporter: dan harris, abc news, new york. >> he's had it. he's not going to take it anymore. >> never bashful about his opinions. that's what people like about him. that's what's making news in america this morning. >> stay with